With a worldwide box office take in excess of $535 million for the original film, Paramount Pictures and Plan B entertainment are keen on developing a sequel to director Marc Forster's World War Z. In an interview today with The Hollywood Reporter, producer and star Brad Pitt says that a number of ideas are currently being explored and that Forster is not planning on returning.

"We are talking about it," Pitt says of early sequel plans. "We are going to investigate a script. We have a lot of ideas we will cull from. Nobody is writing just yet, but we are compiling our ideas."

Last month, Forster hinted to ShockTillYouDrop.com that he wasn't necessarily keen on revisiting the zombie apocalypse.

"I like to explore different worlds," he said. "If I haven't done a genre, I like to challenge myself."

The original film, now available on DVD and Blu-ray, also stars Mireille Enos, Daniella Kertesz, James Badge Dale, Matthew Fox and David Morse and adapts Max Brooks' bestselling novel of the same name.

This is madness...

The only issue I see with this is that the zombies won't be able to fight back while people carry deadly pathogens. Although it would be great to see humanity fighting back, it could get a little dull. That being said, it would be nice to see them continue trying to find patient zero, especially visiting India, and perhaps even finding a cure.

Liquid

Hmmm, not sure about this. Don't think it really needs a sequel as there would be pretty much nothing going on (other than a lot of Zombie killing by the military). They should have finished the story with the first film, added on about 20-30 min and found out how it happened (that's the only thing I think is a major part not explained). We don't need to see the fightback because it's pretty much self-explanatory.

I liked the film. Basically 28 Months later.
What I wished they kept in the film is the time taken from the bite to turning.
People hiding their infection and the Russians gasing a bridge full of refugees so the undead would rise, I liked in the book.
Glad it was a success worthy of a sequel after all the negative. Wished it could of happened to John Carter.

Contributor-Prints

I liked the film. Basically 28 Months later.
What I wished they kept in the film is the time taken from the bite to turning.
People hiding their infection and the Russians gasing a bridge full of refugees so the undead would rise, I liked in the book.
Glad it was a success worthy of a sequel after all the negative. Wished it could of happened to John Carter.

Ltd. Ed./Birthdays/Video Game Mod

I liked the film. Basically 28 Months later.
What I wished they kept in the film is the time taken from the bite to turning.
People hiding their infection and the Russians gasing a bridge full of refugees so the undead would rise, I liked in the book.Glad it was a success worthy of a sequel after all the negative. Wished it could of happened to John Carter.

J.A. Bayona helmed the monsoon disaster pic The Impossible, but he might be taking on something close to that title as Paramount and Skydance have signed him to oversee figuring out a sequel to World War Z. The first film, which was directed by Marc Forster and released last summer, was perhaps the most maligned film in memory prior to its release, certainly for a film that actually turned out to be quite good. The film went significantly over budget, when basically the last third was scrapped for a tense, contained conclusion. Trouble is, Brad Pitt’s United Nations staffer effectively solved the zombie quandary.

The original scrapped ending featured a bloody mano a mano battle against humanity and zombies in Russia that led seamlessly into a second installment. But the studio and Forster felt it was all too much, after the show-stopping insect swarm of zombies that overwhelmed Israel. It turned off audiences and the drastic decision was made that nobody would want a sequel if they walked out disliking the first film. Even at a cost of $220 million or higher, depending on who you ask, and another $125 million to launch the film globally, WWZ‘s $540 million global gross made a sequel possible. How they make the storyline anything more than mop-up duty to eradicate the flesh eaters will be the challenge facing Bayona and Pitt’s Plan B. The Max Brooks book was written with a UN inspector looking back at the zombie chaos after the war was won, with testimony from survivors all over the world. So there’s no real road map for this yet and that will have to be solved on the page before anything else happens. I’m skeptical this one actually comes to fruition, but of course they have to try. If they do figure it out, it’s an opportunity for the CAA-repped Bayona, the Spanish helmer whose breakout film was The Orphanage.

The hiring of Knight comes weeks after it was announced that Pitt was in early talks to star in an untitled World War II romantic thriller, also written by Knight. That project does not have a distributor.

The always reliable Jeff Sneider, of The Wrap, is reporting that Paramount has set a release date for Brad Pitt's World War Z sequel. Barring any setbacks, it is expected to arrive in theaters June 9, 2017, the same weekend as Fox's Fantastic Four 2.

The first World War Z was well-received by critics and fans alike and managed to become one of the bigger surprise hits of 2013 grossing over $540M at the box office after suffering through numerous delays, reshoots, and some initial negativity. Due to the first film's various production issues, plans for a sequel were initially scrapped, but thanks to the film's huge success, Paramount quickly changed their minds and decided to move ahead with a sequel.

No word on the cast yet, but star Brad Pitt is expected to return. Additionally, Juan Antonio Bayona (The Impossible) has been chosen to direct the sequel with Steven Knight (Pawn Sacrifice) penning the script.

Say it ain't so. The first film was probably one of the worst films I've ever seen. Right alongside "The Happening," those are two films I never want to see again. Thanks but no thanks, this one's a pass for me.

Ltd. Ed./Birthdays/Video Game Mod

The Word War Z sequel has lost its director due to timing, reports Deadline. Paramount Pictures confirmed to the site that The Orphanage and The Impossible helmer Juan Antonio Bayona has left the movie with the following statement:

“Bayona is no longer able to make World War Z 2 this year, and it is our ambition to do so. He is a wonderful director and we hope to work with him soon.”

Paramount and Plan B are preparing to start filming the sequel to the blockbuster this summer with Brad Pitt reprising his lead role from a script by Steven Knight that Dennis Kelly rewrote. The studio and Skydance Productions want to have the World War Z sequel in theaters on June 9, 2017, but Bayona needed more time to work on his next film.

Bummer! I would have loved Juan Antonio Bayona as director as I LOVED The Impossible and enjoyed The Orphanage.

But I'm still excited about the sequel, because - compared to all of my friends - I had quite fun with the first one. It wasn't a classic zombie flick with blood splattering all over the place (what I like), but there's lots of other movies for that. Good story telling, great camera and some pretty epic sceneries make me actually want to rewatch it while I'm typing all this.